Snak Stix and Summer Sausage

[jerrykr]

This week I picked up two packer briskets to make Beef Summer Sausage and Beef Snack Stix.
I got them at a United Market Street supermarket. It is an upscale store and I usually have pretty good luck with the meats that I get from their meat dept., but this time I was somewhat disappointed. One of the packers was fully 50% fat by weight, and the lean on this one was heavily marbled with fat. The second brisket was much leaner, so I decided to go ahead and combine them, rather than be set back a day trying for a return at the store.

I measured the fat/lean combination for 25% fat for the Snack Stix, and stired in 2 LEM Snack Stick spice and Cure packages to the cubed meat. I let it cure overnight in my refrigerator. Totaled 10 lbs.

I measured by weight, approximately 30-35% fat for the Summer Sausage. I made up a spice mix that is a combination of 3 or 4 spice recipes that I located on the internet. I added a tspn of Insta-cure #1 to the 12 lb. total, and let it cure overnight.


Grinding the cubed and spiced/cured meat for the Snack Stix.


The chubs of Summer Sausage in the smoker with Hickory chips.


Out of the Smoker and cooling after a water bath.


Snack Stix in 21mm collegen casings in the smoker.


Before I stuffed the Fiberous Casings, I mixed in approx. 1/8 cup of whole Black Peppercorns and 1 rounded cup of High Temp Pepperjack Cheese.


Summer Sausage, sliced and ready to be vaccum packed and frozen.


Snack Stix just out of the smoker and water bath.


Vaccum packed with the Food Saver. This tub full is just over 1/2 of the finished packages.
.

[Papa Tom]

OK now I think I have slicer envy........
Those stix in collagen look like they smoked up fine. I was told that collagen would break if smoked especially if hung like you did. darn now I'm still confused.........

[DATsBBQ]

And grinder envy......

Everything looks great!

[Rich777]

OOOH MY!! That looks good.

[JamesB]

Dude! Good look'n snausages! That grinder makes mine look puny...

[jerrykr]

The grinder is the $100 Northern Tool (on sale for less, usually) model. I have had good luck with it so far.

I stuffed the Stix with my LEM 5# vertical. I don't stuff too full. Makes things, including smoking, a lot easier.

[JamesB]

Well then, maybe it's the angle of the pic. My grinder is the $100 model from Cabelas. I got it last year for Christmas when it was on sale for $50. It works, but I envy some of the mega grinders!

[ChileFarmer]

Jerry, looking really good. I have the grinder and the stuffer, Heck I want the smoker. Good job. CF

[txngent]

Hey Jerry... first off, good lucking stuff. Second, what do you think about the sausage stuffing chamber versus stuffing with the grinder. I am working on my sausage skills and have heard that the grinder has tendency to add air versus the stuffer chamber. What's your two cents? Thanks, and again.... good looking eats.

[jerrykr]

Randy,

I personally don't see much difference in stuffing with the grinder vs stuffing with the LEM vertical stuffer.

That is: If you are going to make one grind, and won't be curing between grind and stuff, you might as well grind it right into the casings. If you are going to grind the meat twice, stuffing it at the same time on the second grind can really keep you busy because getting the meat thru the grinder a second time sometimes is a lot of work.

For the summer sausage in the large fiberous casings, I prefer to stuff the ground meat as a seperate step with the stuffer. The SS also has a cure in it, so I let the ground meat cure overnight and stuffed it the next day.

The snack sticks are in 21mm collegen casings, and the only stuffing tube I have thats small enough to fit those casings is for my vertical stuffer, so I used it for both types of sausage in this case.

It's basically a choice of the best tool for the situation IMHO.

[jerrykr]

JamesB

It's not a mega grinder, but it has a lot of power.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/ ... 6989_36989

I started out on a Waring Pro (400 watt I believe). This one has a lot more sauce! It claims 1000 watts.

[JamesB]

I think my grinder is a 400 watt model. It works for now, but I can see myself upgrading down the road. Now I do have the 5lb vertical stuffer from Northern and I really like that. Just wish I had got the 15lber!

[jerrykr]

I know what you mean on both counts.

Maybe you can find a buyer for your grinder. NT runs these on sale once in awhile.

That 5# really only holds about 4# in my experience. 15# would save a lot of loading time.